The Road to You
by FanofBellaandEdward
Summary: Missing scene Going to the Therapist. Love isn't easy. That's something Naruto knows all too well. He's willing to work for it, though. Birthday fic; AU; Naruto's pov; slight angst; established slash


**Author's note: This oneshot is dedicated to Hikory, because it's her birthday today. Happy birthday, sweetheart!**

 **IMPORTANT: Before you start reading this, it's best to read Going to the Therapist first. This oneshot is the missing scene from the previous story and it probably won't make much sense if you read this one without having read the former.**

 **Warnings: Established slash; Naruto's pov; AU; slight angst; time skips**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.**

 **Dedicated to: Hikory**

 **I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

 **The Road to You**

Even after all those years of being friends, Naruto had a hard time ignoring the penetrating green eyes which were currently drilling a hole into the left side of his skull.

With a sigh, he momentarily gave up on packing his suitcase and turned to face the red haired man. "What?"

"You're seriously going back to him?" Gaara asked incredulously, crossing his arms as he leant against the doorway of what had been Naruto's bedroom up till today.

The blond man tensed up. "Yes, I am," he replied curtly. "What, you thought I was joking?"

"Honestly, yeah, I hoped you were joking," the other man snapped, narrowing his eyes. "You can't really believe he changed, Naruto."

"Why the hell not? People change all the time, Gaara," Naruto snapped back, leaning back against the empty wardrobe. "I thought you wanted me happy?"

"Yes, and that's exactly why you shouldn't go back to him!" Gaara said frustrated, his shoulders visibly tensing. "How many times does he have to hurt you before you finally decide that it's enough?"

Naruto hissed, "He's not going to hurt me anymore! He accepted another job so we could spend more time together and he's making an effort to - "

"And how long is that effort going to last, hm?" Gaara questioned snidely; his eyes cold and hard. "How long until he's back to his old habits and you're back to being miserable and venting to me? You already tried before with those therapy sessions and look where that got you!"

"He went to Kakashi-san to ask for help after I broke up with him!" Naruto retorted frustrated, throwing his hands up. " _He asked for help!_ That already shows he's willing to change. He's really committed to making us work, Gaara, so please - "

"So because he proposes to you and says some pretty words, you're just going to forgive him?" the red haired man said incredulously. "You don't know what you're doing, Naruto!"

"Like hell I don't!" Naruto snarled, balling his hands into fists. "This is between me and Sasuke, Gaara. I'm going to give him another chance and that's that!"

Heavy silence reigned between them, only broken by their heavy and erratic breathing as they both struggled to keep their tempers under control.

Staring blindly at the floor, Naruto swallowed harshly as he forced his muscles to relax one for one. He should have expected that Gaara wouldn't be happy with the engagement news. He had never been a fan of Sasuke and that sentiment definitely hadn't changed after seeing Naruto in the hospital. Not that the accident had been anything but Naruto's fault. He shouldn't have been driving that upset in such bad weather, but what was done was done and he couldn't go back.

Gaara didn't really see it like that. He saw Sasuke as the reason why Naruto had stormed off and while that was true, the blond knew he had nobody but himself to blame for getting hurt like that. Hell, it had been his fault for pissing off Sasuke that much that it led to the argument.

He had been too enthusiastic, too eager to solve all their problems, and in his desire to make everything right again between them had completely forgotten about Sasuke's work related trip. At the time he had been hurt and angry by the fact that Sasuke had refused to cancel his meeting to leave for their own get away, but now he realised that he had acted like a child. The trip to Paris had been important and if he had actually taken the time to confer with Sasuke before picking a date for their own trip, he could have avoided all this crap.

Now, even though they were engaged, things were still a bit rocky between them as they tried to navigate through the hurdles that had grown between them during the past year.

"We're starting the therapy sessions again," Naruto broke the silence softly. "I know everything isn't perfect and our engagement doesn't solve everything, but the point is that this time he's really willing to try. Sasuke was the one who suggested that we start the sessions again, Gaara. If that doesn't tell you that he's trying …" he trailed off, shaking his head.

His friend let out a huge sigh and rolled his shoulders. "Fine, it's your life. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"I know, but I'll be fine. I promise," the blond said solemnly.

Gaara snorted harshly. "I hope you know what you're doing. Come on, I'll help you; otherwise you won't be done for another five hours."

"I'm not that slow," Naruto grumbled, but accepted the offer for what it was – a gesture of peace.

* * *

"So here you are again," Kakashi stated dryly; his one visible, dark eye crinkling amused.

Just like the first time they had been here, Naruto wondered what was underneath the mask that covered nearly his entire face. More importantly, why the therapist felt the need to hide the majority of his face.

"Yep, here we are again," Naruto confirmed, crossing his legs. Next to him Sasuke snorted.

"I see you finally decided to listen to me." Kakashi nodded to the rings glinting in the weak daylight. "Congratulations on the engagement. That said, any particular reason why you're here again?"

"Are you going to complain about getting more money out of us?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"Hardly." Kakashi waved his right hand lazily in the air. "But you know, it doesn't really look good for my business if the same couple has to return for a second round of sessions."

"Does it look like I care?" Sasuke smiled thinly.

Naruto clucked his tongue, throwing his fiancé a warning look. "We'd like to start over again, Kakashi-san," he explained, fidgeting slightly as some embarrassment crept up on him. "Last time – last time we weren't really on the same page, so we want to try again."

The older man raised an eyebrow, but nodded and leant back into his chair, picking up his notebook and a pen from the table next to him. "All right, we'll start our serious talks in the next session. For now why don't you two tell me how you've been doing now that you're back together?"

"Well, I moved back in with Sasuke four days ago," Naruto started, scratching the back of his head.

"Where were you living before?"

"At my friend's house."

"How did your friend react when you moved out again?" Kakashi inquired curiously, jotting down something in his notebook.

The blond man let out a nervous chuckle as he felt Sasuke tensing up next to him. "He, eh, he wasn't particularly happy with it at first."

"When is he ever happy?" Sasuke muttered underneath his breath, but it was loud enough for Naruto to hear it and he briefly scowled at the dark haired man.

"He and Sasuke – they never really got along, so he thought I was making a mistake by going back to Sasuke," Naruto said, grimacing slightly.

The silver haired man hummed thoughtfully and his one visible eye flickered towards Sasuke. "And you, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke shrugged, a bit stiffly. "I'm sharing responsibilities of the firm with Neji now to cut back on my work."

"And how's that working for you?"

"Well, I haven't thrown him out of the window yet, so …" Sasuke smirked and rolled his shoulders as he continued with a sigh, "Our firms already merged a month ago. He's good at what he does, so it makes sense to share the workload."

"And it allows you to spend more time with Uzumaki-kun?" Kakashi waggled his eyebrows meaningfully and unwillingly a blush dusted the blond's cheeks.

"Yes, of course," Sasuke answered unperturbed, not in the least thrown off by the suggestive tone in the therapist's voice.

"It's good to hear that you shifted your priorities," Kakashi said good-naturedly; his pen scratching on the paper. "You've got a date in mind for the wedding?"

Blue met black and Naruto shook his head. "No, we've been busy with moving and our work, so we still need to start the planning."

A chime somewhere in the office made Kakashi look at his watch and he closed his notebook with a quick 'snap'. "All right, that's all the time we had for today, but if you're still going through with the sessions, then I'll see the both of you next Tuesday at five thirty, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Naruto smiled and Sasuke nodded silently in agreement. They stood up and pulled their jackets and scarfs back on. "Thanks, Kakashi-san."

"Thank me when you're finished with your sessions," Kakashi chuckled and rose up as well to shake their hands. "See you next Tuesday."

The two men left the office together; their hands bumping against each other before they entwined their fingers.

Not even the cold wind and even colder rain were able to diminish the small smiles on their faces.

* * *

"So, engaged, un," Deidara remarked casually, kneading a ball of grey clay in his right hand.

"Engaged, yes," Naruto confirmed, sinking down on the kitchen chair across the older blond. He cradled his cup of tea in both hands and inhaled the steam; the scent of the orange tea curling up pleasantly in his nostrils.

"I have to admit that I didn't expect to hear that," his friend continued, cupping his chin with his left hand.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who said I should give Sasuke a chance to explain everything?" he reminded the other man.

"Yes, and I did say let him explain, un, not instantly get engaged to him," Deidara snorted and shook his head; his high ponytail swishing back and forth across his shoulders.

The younger blond pulled his shoulders up and scowled into his tea. "What? You think we shouldn't get married?"

"Shouldn't get married …" Deidara hesitated visibly, before sighing; rolling his ball of clay absentmindedly over the table. "I'm not saying you shouldn't get married, un, but maybe you're a bit … too hasty with it? I mean you broke up with him because you felt he chose his work over you. What if he falls back into his old habits?"

Naruto swallowed, tracing his index finger across the rim of his cup. "Sasuke promised he would change and he has reduced his hours. Even if he wanted to pick up more work, it's not like Neji's going to let him, now that he's co-owner," he chuckled weakly. "Besides we …"

He hesitated, gnawing at his lower lip. Should he tell Deidara about the therapy sessions? He had only told Gaara about the first time they had had the sessions. It wasn't as if he and Deidara weren't close – aside from Gaara and Sasuke, he was probably closest to Deidara – but telling the older blond that he and Sasuke were seeing a therapist made him feel embarrassed, a tad ashamed even. It was like admitting that he couldn't even solve his own relationship issues and had to call in the help of someone else.

Rationally he knew that he shouldn't feel ashamed of attending therapy sessions; there were a lot of couples who followed those sessions and it had become clear in the past year that they needed the help. But knowing they needed the help and actually talking about it to one of his best friends was a completely different ball game. Especially when that someone _did_ manage to have a good relationship with his own Uchiha.

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair before lifting his head reluctantly and looking straight into concerned, sky blue eyes. "We're seeing a therapist. To work out our issues and stuff," he muttered and felt himself flush; his cheeks too warm.

Deidara blinked, clearly caught off guard by the admission. "Oh. Well, that's good, un," he smiled encouragingly. "I'm glad you're working on it instead of just rushing into things."

His eyes gained a mischievous glint. "I'm claiming the title of your best man, un."

Naruto threw his head back and laughed. "You'll have to fight that out with Gaara then!"

"Oh, I'm sure I can persuade him," Deidara smirked, throwing the clay ball into the air and deftly catching it again.

Naruto decided wisely he didn't want to be near them when his two friends had that particular conversation.

* * *

"I thought we could start with talking about the reason you two broke up," Kakashi said, leaving his desk behind to sit down on his chair, while beckoning the two men in front of him to take a seat.

"Okay," Naruto said slowly, not really in the mood to rehash that particular memory. It wasn't one of his proudest moments.

"Why don't we start with you first, Uzumaki-san? You know the drill by now. You talk and Uchiha-san is quiet for the moment. Not that that will be a problem for you, I assume," Kakashi added dryly, giving Sasuke an amused look.

Dark eyes gave him a decidedly unimpressed look, but Sasuke remained silent.

"Well, it was … I was being stupid actually," Naruto admitted with a huff, pointedly not looking at the man next to him.

"Stupid? How so?"

"You'd given me the assignment to book a vacation so Sasuke and I could spend some time together," Naruto replied, plucking nervously at a loose thread of his sleeve. "I was a bit too enthusiastic and booked a weekend without talking to Sasuke about it first. When I told him about it, we had a fight because I had forgotten that he had to leave for a business trip. We got pissed at each other, I left the house, got into an accident and when, when Sasuke came back I broke up with him."

"And why did you break up? Because of the fight?" Kakashi asked; voice blank as he studied the blond man.

"Not really." Naruto shrugged and looked away. "Just … I was stupid like I said."

"Yes, you've mentioned that," the older man remarked and his pen tapped against the paper. "But that still doesn't really tell me why you broke up with him. What exactly drove you to breaking up with him when you were clearly doing your best to work on your relationship?"

Naruto shifted, his cheeks warming as embarrassment filled him. He was very aware of the dark gaze resting on him and he couldn't bring himself to return the look.

"Uzumaki-san, I realise that this might be uncomfortable for you, but in order for you to work at the underlying issues, you need to talk about them," Kakashi murmured, surprisingly gentle. "What you say won't leave this room and I'm not going to form any judgment about it. The reason why I want you to talk about it is so that you can make a fresh start."

The blue eyed man worried his lower lip between his teeth, pulling his shoulders up as he crossed his arms. "I – the reason why I broke up with Sasuke is because … Because I felt like I wasn't good enough. That I would never be good enough for him."

"Naruto," Sasuke started, but quietened down again when Kakashi threw him a sharp look.

"I know it's stupid, but I felt like by refusing to cancel his business trip it was like he was – like he was rejecting me," Naruto laughed weakly, rubbing a hand furiously over his forehead. Old bitterness resurfaced as he remembered all those years of not feeling good enough, of being rejected by everyone he tried to reach out to.

"Stupid, I know, but it felt like he was choosing his work over me and I … I didn't want to feel like that again. I figured that, that it would be better if we broke up. So when Sasuke came to the hospital, I told him I didn't want to see him anymore."

"Have you felt like that before? That he was choosing his work over you?" Kakashi inquired calmly.

Naruto hesitated, but nodded slowly. "Ye-yeah."

"Did you ever tell him that you felt like that?"

"Not really." The blond man shrugged awkwardly, staring at the floor. "We – sometimes had fights about how much he worked, but … I never told him."

"Why not?"

"Because I thought I was being stupid or dramatic or so," Naruto muttered, scratching his cheek. "I just – I didn't … I didn't want to fight and I mean, there are worse things someone can do, right? Sasuke's a workaholic; I knew that from the start. It didn't feel like I had a right to complain about it when I knew that he's always been a hard worker."

"You said you had fights about the amount of work he did – how did those fights generally tend to end?"

"Silence sometimes," Naruto replied and felt his cheeks heat up fiercely when he remembered other ways that their arguments ended in. "And you know, sometimes, eh, sometimes, in bed." He ducked his head, unable to look the therapist in the eye even if this was probably something the other man regularly heard in his line of work.

The silver haired man made a thoughtful noise. "But you never really talked it out then, I presume? You forgot about it until the next time a new fight happened?"

"I suppose so," Naruto muttered embarrassed. They had never been keen on talking – in spite of the fact that Naruto could talk for hours on end, actually discussing problems and feelings had never come as easy to him.

Sasuke was even worse in that aspect, so no, talking, actually talking about their problems and feelings was not something they were wont to do.

Kakashi jotted something down before turning his attention to Sasuke, who instantly straightened up underneath the scrutinizing look and regarded the older man warily.

"What?"

"You've heard Uzumaki-san just now. Before we discuss your communication problem, let's talk about you for a bit, Uchiha-san. You're apparently a workaholic. Is there a particular reason why you work so much?"

"Should there be a reason?" Sasuke retorted, but his tone was careful and he regarded the therapist warily.

Kakashi shrugged, leaning back into his chair. "Usually there is one, yes. Some work a lot to avoid things happening in their life; others because they've been taught to work a lot since they were young … All kinds of reasons, really. So what drove you to work so much that it caused friction between you two?"

It was silent for a while as Sasuke clearly pondered about what exactly he would reveal. Naruto waited with slightly baited breath. It was one thing for Sasuke to suggest they attend the sessions and a whole other thing actually participating in them and bearing his soul.

"I … guess it's just something I grew up with. My father taught both me and my brother to work hard and I … just did that. It's something I got used to doing," Sasuke murmured, shrugging stiffly.

"Have you always worked this hard or did you start working more during the past few years?" Kakashi asked interested.

Dark eyes blinked bemused. "I don't know. Maybe? I never really thought about it."

"You did," Naruto couldn't help himself from saying and flushed a bit when two pairs of dark eyes stared at him. He cleared his throat and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he continued, "You – you started working a lot more after Itachi started his own company and left this one to you."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay, maybe I did start working more, but that was only normal," he argued. "I received the leadership over the company and that meant that I had to do more work than before. I told you that when I agreed to the take-over, remember?"

"I remember," Naruto muttered, his fingers tapping an erratic beat on the armchair. "But Itachi still managed to make time for Deidara-kun," he couldn't stop himself from adding and his tone was sharper than he had intended it to be.

The frown on Sasuke's forehead deepened and his eyes narrowed slightly; a spark of irritation flashing up. "You can't compare me to my brother, Naruto," he growled; a hint of warning in his voice.

"Of course I can't," Naruto smiled bitterly and managed to stop himself on time before he said something he would really regret. He didn't want to argue with the older man, but the itch to fight was there, fuelled by Sasuke's stubbornness.

"How's the relationship with your brother, Uchiha-san?" Kakashi interrupted their staring match and both men looked at him surprised. The therapist smiled, crossing his legs. "Just curious."

"It's fine," Sasuke replied tersely. "We get along just fine."

Naruto snorted and the dark haired man whipped his head around to glower at him. "What?" the blond said defensively. "It's not like you don't have brother issues."

"I don't have brother issues!" Sasuke snapped; his fingers digging into the armchair as his black eyes lit up with anger.

"Let's take a moment to calm down," Kakashi cut in, throwing them both a warning look.

Naruto sank back down in his chair with a huff, glancing away.

"Uzumaki-san mentioned that you started working more after your brother left the company to you," Kakashi started contemplatively after a moment of heavy silence had passed. "Do you personally think that your brother had some kind of influence on your work ethic?"

"Of course not," Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms as he scowled at the silver haired man. "My new position just required more hours, that's all. Naruto just couldn't deal well with my new hours."

"Couldn't deal well?" Naruto laughed harshly, staring at his fiancé incredulously. "Right, because it's oh so normal to have your boyfriend come home after midnight and leave in the early morning again constantly! Don't give me that bullshit that your new position required more hours – if Itachi was able to come home to Deidara-kun at a decent hour, why couldn't you? You were in the exact same position as he was!"

"I changed my hours now, didn't I?" Sasuke growled, leaning forwards; his entire form as tense as a panther ready to strike. "Why do you keep going on about that? I've been trying my best, so how long are you going to hold on to - "

"Because I want to know why you couldn't do that before!" Naruto raised his voice, cutting right through Sasuke as he slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. "Why you couldn't be arsed to cut down your hours before when you fucking knew I wanted to see you more! Why I had to wait up for hours just to see you because you kept working instead of coming home!"

"I was the one who kept working?" Sasuke hissed; his face drawn with anger. "Who was the one who decided that being a teacher wasn't enough and you needed to pick up another job at that fucking pet store, huh? I've taken afternoons off so I could spend more time with you, but instead you were either working at that goddamn pet store or you were off, doing shit with Deidara!"

"Oh, fucking come off it!" Naruto snarled, lunging forwards. "I took up that job at the pet store because you were never home anyway! Why the fuck should I waste time at home waiting for you when you never came when I could do something useful with my time? I always told you when I was meeting up with my friends, so don't give me that bullshit of being away when you took time off! You don't get to make me feel guilty because - "

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, I'm just stating it as it is!" Sasuke spat, balling his hands into fists. "You're the one always gallivanting around! You knew how I was from the very beginning! If you wanted someone more - "

"What does that even have to do with you being a fucking workaholic?!" Naruto exploded, throwing his hands in the air. "If you had just spent a bit more time with me - "

"The moments I tried, you were never - "

"Oh, that's fucking bullshit! You never tried to - "

"Enough."

That one order, spoken in a calm voice, caused them to freeze; their eyes widening as they realised how close they had come to stand to each other. Naruto swallowed and took a step back, sinking down in his chair again; his hands clenched between his knees. Sasuke sighed, hovered in front of his chair for a moment before he took his seat once more, turning to look out of the window. Silence reigned between the couple.

"I think it is safe to assume that the communication between the two of you still needs quite some work," Kakashi remarked calmly, lowering his pen on the notebook. "Unfortunately we've run out of time for this session, so we're going to work on your communication problems next time."

"We're not that bad," Sasuke muttered petulantly.

Kakashi ignored him and continued in a more chipper tone, "Next week I'm fully booked, but the week after that on Wednesday I'd like to see you back."

"Sounds good," Naruto said softly and next to him Sasuke inclined his head.

Kakashi grinned and clapped his hands. "Before you leave, I have an assignment for you."

"Of course you do," the dark haired man mumbled darkly, rolling his eyes.

Without looking Naruto jabbed his arm, clucking his tongue in warning.

"By the next session I want you to write down three qualities that caused you to be attracted to the other person. Aside from that, I also want you to write down one issue that you personally feel would be the deal breaker if that issue occurred now." Dark eyes flitted from the blond man to the dark haired man in front of him. "Is the assignment clear?"

"Crystal," Naruto replied, offering a small smile.

"Understood," Sasuke murmured and rose up from the chair rather stiffly.

"I'll see you both in two weeks then," Kakashi smiled, standing up as well.

"Bye, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto smiled and followed his fiancé out of the room.

Hyper aware of the stiff silence hanging between him and Sasuke.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Naruto murmured and the sound of a sponge rubbing over a plate paused.

Outside the rain was steadily falling down, pitter-pattering on the windows.

The blond man elaborated, making use of the pause, "I – shouldn't have reacted like that during the session. I know you've made changes and I was out of line. I'm sorry." The last apology left him in a rush as he stared down at his sock clad feet.

He wasn't really fond of apologising, didn't like admitting he had been in the wrong, but he didn't want to fuck up things between him and Sasuke. Not when they were finally slowly going back to how they had been before work had taken over. Keeping Sasuke with him was worth admitting he had been wrong.

A sigh left the dark haired man and he turned around, resting his hands against the edge of the sink after pulling off his gloves. "There's no need to apologise," Sasuke murmured to Naruto's surprise and blue eyes widened. His lover smiled wryly. "When I proposed, I accepted the fact that it would take some time to get us back on track. It's why I decided to go back to that therapist. I know it wasn't going to be easy, but … I guess I just had underestimated how open we would have to be during these sessions. I don't like talking about feelings, so I … it was easier to lash out I suppose. I know that sounds ridiculous, but - "

"Not ridiculous," Naruto interrupted and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around a lithe waist, resting his head against Sasuke's shoulder. "I get what you mean. It's not easy having to be that open."

"No, it isn't," Sasuke sighed and brought his arms around Naruto, pulling him closer.

Dark strands tickled Naruto's forehead as the older man brushed a kiss close to his hairline. "But I don't mind being open if it means I don't lose you again," he confessed in a quiet voice.

Naruto's breath hitched at the admission and he pulled his head back; cerulean blue eyes staring at the slightly taller man in wonder. Butterflies squirmed around in his stomach and he felt himself smile; warmed to the core at the unexpected remark. Dark eyes flickered down to his mouth and there was no hesitation when they brought their heads closer to each other, allowing their lips to meet in a soft, but firm kiss.

They pulled apart with a soft gasp, lips tingling, and Naruto brought his head back onto Sasuke's shoulder, squeezing his waist softly. The familiar smell of sharp cologne mixed with Sasuke's natural scent curled into his nose and he breathed out contently, closing his eyes.

"I don't want to lose you either," Naruto admitted readily.

They remained standing in their embrace for a long time, not caring one wit that the dishwater was growing cold.

Enjoying being with each other.

* * *

"Your mum called," Naruto muttered, throwing an old gossip magazine back on the table. The corners of his mouth quirked up with amusement as he recalled his short conversation with Mikoto. "Demanded to know whether we're going for a winter wedding after all or if we're going to wait until next spring."

Dark eyes blinked bemused. "Didn't we already tell her that we're going for a winter wedding?" Sasuke remarked, twisting his wristwatch a bit absentmindedly.

"We did," Naruto confirmed, leaning back into the chair, which creaked softly underneath his shifting weight. "But she said she wanted to be sure."

"What, does she think we're going to change our mind?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and scoffed, letting the sleeve of his jacket fall back over his wrist.

Naruto shrugged, scratching his wrist. He was pretty sure Fugaku at least was still hoping that they would change their mind. While he had never explicitly said anything rude or demeaning, it had become more than clear that Fugaku was disappointed that his second son was also gay and therefore wouldn't produce any heirs for the Uchiha clan either. He probably had been happy when Naruto had broken up with Sasuke only to be disappointed once more when Sasuke announced he and Naruto were going to get married a few weeks ago.

"Deidara-kun says your brother is hoping you'll pick him as your best man," Naruto commented, crossing his legs underneath the chair. Right across from him hung a huge poster, displaying a woman and a man laughing widely at each other; their hands linked together as the poster proclaimed boldly that it was never too late to work on your relationship.

Sasuke snorted, letting the wall behind him support his head. "Well, it's either him or one of the idiots at my workplace – not much of a choice there, is it?"

The blond man chuckled. "I'm sure Itachi will be happy."

Sasuke sneered and opened his mouth to say something, but the door to Kakashi's office opened, revealing a curvy brunette holding hands with a tall, dark blond haired man. They said their goodbyes to the therapist and left the room, walking right past the two men without offering them a glance.

"You can come in if you want to," Kakashi announced lazily, beckoning them closer.

Sasuke and Naruto shared a look and stood up, entering the by now very familiar room with the armchairs and couch.

Weak sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, illuminating the space with a soft yellowish light, bathing the furniture in a gentle glow.

"So how have you been the past two weeks?" Kakashi asked, rummaging through some drawers of his desk before he crossed the room and sank down in the chair he usually occupied during these sessions.

"Can't complain," Sasuke answered and shrugged. He had removed his jacket prior to sitting, revealing his white shirt and black tie. His cufflinks gleamed in the light whenever he moved his hands.

"Been a bit busy with parent-teacher conferences," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "They're done for now, though, so I'm concentrating on a school trip that's coming up soon."

"How are the wedding plans coming along?"

"We've picked a date," Sasuke said, resting his right arm – the closest to Naruto – on the arm of his chair. "We're planning on a winter wedding. Somewhere in December."

"Sounds nice," Kakashi hummed and peered at them with unreadable eyes. "How are things between you two?"

The two men exchanged a look and Naruto smiled, letting his left arm dangle close to Sasuke's. "We're good. We've been spending more time together, going out on dates."

"That's good to hear," Kakashi said approvingly. "Now, I gave you an assignment last time. Did you complete it?"

"We did," Naruto confirmed and lifted his arse from the chair to slip the folded paper out of his back pocket.

Sasuke unearthed his own list from a pocket in his jacket. Naruto didn't know what he had written on it; they hadn't discussed the assignment. He hadn't seen the need of it when he knew they would be discussing their lists during their appointment anyway. Still, it pleased him – and made him relieved – to see that Sasuke was taking this seriously. The dark haired man hadn't exactly cooperated enthusiastically during their first series of sessions, so the fact that he had made the list without Naruto prompting him about it was a good sign.

"Let's first start with the list of qualities which attracted you to one another," Kakashi announced smiling. "A matter of starting this session positively. Who wants to go first?"

"I will if that's okay," Naruto said, looking questioningly at Sasuke.

"No problem for me," the older man muttered.

"All right, so I just have to list them, right?" Naruto asked, unfolding his paper. The paper was severely creased already; he had folded it and unfolded it several times throughout these past two weeks, wondering whether he should change something or not.

"Yes, just list them," Kakashi confirmed, settling himself more comfortably in his chair. "If you want, you can explain why you chose those qualities."

"Okay." Naruto nodded and licked his lips; insecurity flashing up again when he stared at what he had written down. Suddenly he wasn't so certain anymore whether he should read his list aloud – what if Sasuke thought it was stupid?

"Uzumaki-san?" Kakashi broke through his thoughts and the blue-eyed man shook his head, dispelling his thoughts.

Well, just like ripping off a bandage, he guessed. He had done more embarrassing things than just summing up what had attracted him to the Uchiha heir.

"I like how driven you are," he started, eyes trained on the paper. "Once you've set your sights on something, you don't stop until you've succeeded and I've always admired that about you. I like that you're openminded and you – are willing to give everyone a chance. Even if most people wouldn't," he added quietly, his fingers gripping the sheet of paper tightly, creasing it even further.

Before Sasuke, not many people had really looked at Naruto. They were content to ignore him or worse taunt and bully him. Sasuke had been one of the first people to acknowledge Naruto for who he was and the blond man would forever be grateful for that. Grateful that despite the abundance of rumours circulating about him, Sasuke hadn't cared one wit about them and had treated the younger man like a normal person.

Slender, pale fingers tugged at his left hand and Naruto released the paper surprised, watching how Sasuke enveloped his hand in his own, squeezing it gently. When he looked up, he gazed straight into knowing, soft black eyes and he took a deep breath, offering a smile, feeling strengthened by the soft gaze resting on him.

"And a third quality – well, I'm not sure if it counts as a quality, but whatever, it's something else that attracted me – your eyes," Naruto rambled, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. "They're beautiful, but more than that, they're – they're expressive, you know, they show what you're thinking and I … I really – I like them," he ended, flushing; his fingers tightening around Sasuke's.

Kakashi uttered a noise of contemplation and nodded, gesturing towards Sasuke. "Your turn, Uchiha-san."

Naruto felt Sasuke tense up and he peered up at him through his eyelashes, strangely nervous all of a sudden. While they had been friends for years before Naruto had asked him out, it had taken him several months before Sasuke agreed to a date. Till this day, however, he still didn't know what exactly had made his best friend give in.

Sasuke slowly breathed out, causing several strands of his black blue hair to flutter. Still leaving his hand curled around Naruto's, he began, "I like your stubbornness. You don't let anything get in your way once you've made up your mind. You don't give up even if someone tells you something is impossible and I admire that. I like how expressive you are. It's – your expressiveness is like a fresh breath of air after spending years with people who walk around with masks on more often than not." Here he sounded stiffly and a dark look crossed his face; no doubt thinking about his father.

Naruto squeezed his fingers reassuringly and offered a small smile when Sasuke looked up sharply at him. The older man nodded slowly and after a moment passed, he visibly relaxed again.

"I like your laugh," he continued frankly. "It's bright and … I like listening to it." He stopped and refolded the paper; only the slightest hint of rose colouring his cheekbones revealing that he was a tad embarrassed by what he had confessed.

Naruto was pretty sure his cheeks were on fire with how hot they felt and he looked away, even when a wide smile spread his lips apart. He felt warm all over, maybe even a bit too warm, and butterflies were racing like mad in his stomach; his senses acutely aware of the man sitting next to him.

It felt … more than nice to hear Sasuke saying those things. Knowing – even if it shouldn't surprise him – that Sasuke did feel the same for him, that he hadn't just given in to be done with Naruto's persistence.

"Very good," Kakashi said approvingly. "You both could stand to hear more compliments like these, I think."

"You're giving that as a new assignment?" Sasuke snorted, having regained his equilibrium quickly.

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head amused. "No, that's something I leave up to your discretion. It will mean more if I don't give it as an assignment, don't you agree?"

Sasuke made a non-committal sound, but didn't protest.

The therapist sobered up quickly. "Now I gave you two one more assignment. Did you complete that as well?"

Naruto bit on his lower lip and nodded, fiddling with the left corner of his paper. Completing that particular task had been harder and it had taken him several days to decide which issue he wanted them to tackle.

"Okay, Uchiha-san, why don't you start now?" Kakashi asked, crossing his legs; his pen hovering above his notebook, ready to jot down whatever he wrote during these sessions. It could be an entire analysis of them both or simple doodles, Naruto didn't know.

Sasuke pursed his lips together, appearing slightly annoyed, before he inclined his head. "The issue I want to work on … I don't want Naruto to go to his friends every time we have an argument, but – stay and talk it out," he brought out, oddly halting. "I'm not saying he can never discuss us with his friends, but – I'm not in the mood to defend myself against his friends every time we have an argument. It's our relationship and I don't need his friends sticking their noses into it."

"You feel like Uzumaki-san relies too much on his friends?" Kakashi questioned and looked warningly at Naruto when he opened his mouth. The blond man closed his mouth with a silent huff, resigned to remaining quiet for now.

"I know they're close," Sasuke murmured and something flickered in his eyes. "But they don't have any business interfering with our relationship. I don't appreciate them being on my case every time Naruto and I argue. The arguments are between me and Naruto, not between me and them."

"That sounds reasonable," Kakashi remarked and his dark eyes glided over to Naruto. "What do you think, Uzumaki-san?"

"They – I'm sure they don't mean to be on Sasuke's case about it," Naruto defended his friends. "Isn't it normal to talk to your friends about problems?"

"It is," Kakashi agreed, resting his pen on the paper. "But it's still your relationship and not your friends'. Too much interference of others can damage your relationship and Uchiha-san feels they're too present, correct?" He addressed Sasuke, who nodded.

"I don't mind you talking to your friends about us, Naruto," Sasuke said softly. "But I'm sick of constantly having to defend myself against them whenever we have even the slightest argument."

"Nobody says you can't discuss your arguments with your friends at all, Uzumaki-san," Kakashi said calmly. "It can even give you another perspective on it, because you discuss it with people who are more objective than you are. But your partner shouldn't be made to feel like he's the bad guy constantly by your friends."

Naruto swallowed, pulling on a loose thread of his jeans. "I'll tell my friends to back off more," he promised, acknowledging the fact that yes, perhaps his friends had been a bit too present in his relationship. He hadn't known before that it had bothered Sasuke how his friends had leapt to Naruto's defence immediately, but he really should have realised that. Sasuke wasn't made out of stone, after all, despite the image he liked to portray to the world. Of course he would be bothered by Naruto's friends jumping to his defence each time they had a fight; Gaara especially had never gone easy on the dark eyed man.

"Does that sound good to you, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke shrugged, but relief lurked in the depths of his eyes. "Yes, sounds good."

"And you, Uzumaki-san? What do you consider an issue you want to work on?" Kakashi inquired.

Naruto cleared his throat and rubbed his right cheek with the back of his hand. "Well, I'd like it if – if Sasuke doesn't shut me out anymore," he mumbled; his thumb rubbing over a smudge on the paper. "I know he isn't an open book and he doesn't have to force himself to be one, but if something is bothering him, I just want him to be able to talk to me about it instead of shutting down, you know?"

He licked his lips. "I don't understand a lot of what he does at work, but I could listen. He shouldn't have to keep everything to himself. Just … I just want him to talk to me more."

"Well, Uchiha-san, do you think you can open a bit more?" Kakashi questioned in a neutral voice, regarding the other man expectantly.

Visibly hesitating, Sasuke nodded slowly. "I – I promise I'll try. I'm not used to – talk a lot, but I'll try. I'll do my best not to shut you out so much anymore."

"You trying is all I ask," Naruto murmured, giving his fiancé a soft smile.

"Looks like we're making progress," Kakashi said satisfied. "Uzumaki-san, your friends can't interfere in your relationship and Uchiha-san, you're going to try to not shut out your partner so much anymore."

Both men nodded in agreement, more relaxed now that the difficult part was over.

The therapist smiled pleased. "I'm glad to see you're making good progress now."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and they smiled at each other; their hands still tightly clasped together.

"Yeah, we're happy too," Naruto murmured.

* * *

It wasn't as if everything was magically perfect all of a sudden. They still argued at times, ugly words being exchanged, until they calmed down and sat down to talk it out.

As time passed, their arguments lessened both in frequency and severity. They learnt to compromise more – Sasuke worked reasonable hours and Naruto refrained from spending too much time out of the house.

It wasn't as if there was a need to flee the house nowadays, anyway. Before, Naruto had mostly stayed out to avoid being alone in the large house. Their home had felt empty, too big for one person to stay there for hours and he had gone to his friends in order to escape the loneliness. With Sasuke working more reasonable hours, however, there was no longer a need to escape the house. It felt like a _home_ again.

That wasn't to say that Naruto didn't spend any time anymore with his friends, but he wasn't gone for hours anymore; being content to go home early and wait for Sasuke to arrive. After a while Sasuke started joining his outings with his friends, integrating himself more firmly into their friend circle. Even Gaara started warming up to the dark haired man; they probably would never be best friends, but they weren't at each other's throats anymore which made Naruto quite happy. He didn't want to keep breaking up fights between his best friend and soon to be husband.

It had taken a few years and a break-up but Naruto was happy. Happy with his life, with Sasuke and their relationship. Happy to be together with the older man, to wake up and go to sleep next to him. Happy with the knowledge that things had changed for good this time, that their relationship had been strong enough to survive the hurdles.

Just happy to be with Sasuke.

* * *

Their last therapy session took place a week before they were to get married.

"And how are things going for you now?" Kakashi asked lightly.

Outside, snow was fluttering down onto the windowsill, covering everything in a thick, white blanket.

"They're great," Naruto grinned; his thigh resting against Sasuke's. "We finished up the last things for the wedding, so we don't have to worry about anything anymore. Mikoto-san is quite happy with that." He chuckled as he recalled the look of relief on his future mother-in-law's face when she realised that nothing else needed to be prepared.

All that was left to do was actually getting married – which would happen next week.

"I know preparing for a wedding can be quite hectic," Kakashi remarked, leaning back into his chair. This time he didn't have his notebook with him; instead his hands rested idly on his lap. "Are you still making time for each other?"

"Yes, we go out on a date at least once a week," Sasuke answered, placing his arm around Naruto's shoulders, pulling the man closer to him. "We don't talk about work or our friends or family or even the wedding then. We use those days to spend time with each other."

"That's good to hear," Kakashi smiled approvingly. "It's important to keep making time for each other even if you're married."

"We're planning on continuing these dates even once we're married," Naruto explained, giving Sasuke's thigh a gentle squeeze. "Even if it gets hectic in our lives, we're not going to let that affect us."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that these sessions were useful to you," Kakashi said grinning. "I shouldn't say this, but to be honest, I wasn't so sure at first whether you two would make it. I'm glad you proved me wrong."

"Hn, shows what you know," Sasuke smirked.

The three men rose up; the session over.

"Don't let me see you here again." Kakashi winked as he opened the door.

"We're not planning on it," Naruto laughed and together with Sasuke he left the therapist's office for the last time.

"Home?" Sasuke asked; his breath escaping him in a white cloud as they stepped outside.

Naruto smiled and rose up a bit to share a soft kiss with Sasuke; their lips warm against each other even when the wind howled around them. "Home," he whispered in agreement, entangling his fingers with Sasuke's.

Together they walked to Sasuke's car, ready to go home and spend the rest of the day with each other.

In one week they would be spending the rest of their lives together. Naruto could hardly wait.

The road leading up to where they were now had been difficult and hard at times, but it had been more than worth it.

Nobody ever said love was easy after all. It was worth fighting for, though. _That_ Naruto was certain about.

"Let's go," he said and Sasuke smiled.

Their relationship might not be perfect, but Naruto wouldn't have it any other way.

It was perfect enough for him.

 **The End**

* * *

 **AN2: When I started writing this, I figured it wouldn't be more than 4K, maybe 5K long. It eventually ended up being a bit longer than 8K *coughs* I don't know how to keep to limits, okay? *whimpers***

 **I hope this was satisfactory for you all :) I know several people were asking for scenes like this because the previous story ended rather abruptly, so I hope I didn't disappoint! It took some years, but well, here we are *coughs***

 **Please leave a review behind with your thoughts; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.**

 **I hope to see you all in my other stories!**

 **Cuddles**

 **Melissa**

 **P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.**


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